


Scissors

by ahogeboy



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Genocider Makoto Naegi, Murder, Pre-Despair, Psychological Torture, Tagging as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-08-30 17:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8543332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahogeboy/pseuds/ahogeboy
Summary: A lot of strange things have been to Makoto lately, all starting with waking up at the scene of a murder.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the prologue, so the following chapters will be longer ^^

"The first time it happened, it terrified me."

Makoto slowly came to his senses, feeling the cold, gravelly cement beneath him. Where was he...? He could feel something warm on his hands, on his face... There was a metallic taste in his mouth. His eyes shot wide open as he realized what it was. Blood! Was he bleeding?! Where was he?! He thought he must have gotten an injury, though strangely enough, he felt no pain, other than the sting of a small cut on his hand. But that wouldn't spill this much blood...! He sat up the second he was no longer frozen in panic staring down at his hands. Stained pink... But this couldn't be his, right? He was shaking slightly now, knowing that it was inevitable that this was someone else's blood. But whose? In his dazed and slightly panicked state, a quiet dripping sound caught his attention. At first, he assumed it must be water coming from the gutters. Looking up, he could see he was in an alleyway in between two buildings. But something felt just... Off. Here he was, in a dark alley covered in blood, and it looked like it was nighttime. It wasn't all that dark out, so the sun must've just set, but...

He slowly got to his feet, before turning around to see if it really was just the gutters. The moment he did, however, his breath caught in his throat, and instead of a scream all that came out was a horrified choking sound. "Wh-wha-?!"

A mangled, tattered body was pinned to the wall, pink blood dripping down from all the stab wounds that had been inflicted on it. The only thing holding it to the wall were two pairs of shiny, silver scissors, one protruding from each hand. Some of the fingers were missing, a few others hanging on by a scrap of skin or flesh and bone... Dripping, dripping, dripping... The dripping sound continued. The persons face was hardly recognizable, he couldn't even begin to guess who they might be... Drip, drip, drip. For a moment he felt as if he were going to puke, and the next vomit had already shot up his throat, tears stinging his eyes as it burned its way from his stomach to the ground. Disgusting... This was so disgusting! He wanted desperately to cry for help, but somewhere in him he knew that they'd put the blame on him. He was... Covered in this persons blood after all... However, as much as he wanted to run away, it felt as if his legs had turned to lead. So many stab wounds, so many holes... So much blood... He almost fainted right then and there, eyes locked on the scissors.

... The scissors....

Before he knew it, he had fled that place, almost tripping over his own feet quite a few times in his panic. His house wasn't far... Thankfully no one saw him, most were inside by now... Komaru was at her friends house for the weekend, and his parents were still at work... He'd gotten away from that with no questions asked. He must really be lucky... Extremely lucky, and unlucky at the same time to even end up there in the first place. How had he even gotten there?! He didn't remember being anywhere near there, nor did he remember it being that late. Similar things had happened to him before when he was younger- He'd suddenly find himself somewhere without remembering how he'd gotten there, or find himself doing something he didn't remember starting. However, it had been a few years since anything notable had happened with this. He'd just brushed it off as dissociation...

He took a shower as soon as he managed to stop crying, letting the hot water rinse all the blood off his skin. His was going to need to wash his clothes as soon as he got out of the shower, before anyone else saw them... It seemed every time he closed his eyes, he saw those damned silver scissors again, guilt and dread washing over him every time. Why should he feel guilty?! Calling for help would have done nothing, and it wasn't as if he had killed them... Why did he keep picturing those scissors? There was nothing special about them. Just plain silver scissors. They seemed so clean despite how much blood there was everywhere else, and even there was so little light, they were shining... His fixation still didn't make any sense. They were just scissors... His strange fascination with the scissors wasn't even the worst part however. What was worse, and what made his gut twist, was the fact that the scene....

It looked so familiar.

It shouldn't be familiar. He'd never seen anything like it before. He didn't watch horror movies or play scary games. Why did he feel like he'd seen that before? Maybe it was just misplaced familiarity, dejavu or something... But it was unsettling. Sure enough, as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, he could hear police sirens outside. He'd gotten out of there just in time... He was still shaky as he got into his pajamas, not being able to keep his mind off of what he'd just seen. Why did it..? He supposed he should just... Go to bed, and hopefully, this would all pass by the time morning came. He knew he'd likely never, never forget it, but he could hope it might just blend together with all the other strange happenings, and he'd never have to think about it again.

This was not, however, how things turned out for him.


	2. A Fateful Encounter

Makoto yawned as he woke up, wiping the drool off his face and sitting up. It was a tranquil morning, the morning light streaming in through his window and into his bedroom. The only thing that wasn't peaceful was the screeching sound of his alarm clock. Reluctantly, the brunette got out of his bed, shivering slightly as he left the warmth of his blankets. He was tempted to go right back to sleep as soon as he turned it off, however before he could think about it for long, he heard his sisters voice.

"You'd better not sleep in again, Makoto! You were late to school last time!" Komaru shouted from her room, though it wasn't like she was always in time, either.

"Yeah, I know, I know..."

Ugh, he hated Mondays... Well, at least it was a nice day out! It looked like it wasn't going to be too cold out, so he didn't have to dress warmly. He threw on his usual sweatshirt and blazer, and a pair of jeans, before hurrying to brush his teeth and hair so he could eat breakfast. Though in reality, there wasn't much use in brushing his hair. It was always messy no matter what he did! Even hair gel didn't work the very few times he had tried it.

He sat down at the breakfast table after pouring himself some cereal, Komaru sitting across from him soon afterwards.

"Makoto, did you hear about that murder that happened a few days ago? It's not far from your school! You should be careful!"

He shuddered slightly as the memory resurfaced in his mind. Yes... Of course, he hadn't told his family about how he woke up at the crime scene, nor did he tell them he had been having nightmares about it every night since. He couldn't blame her for bringing it up... It was all over the news. There hadn't been a murder like that since, well... Since before he was born!

"Yeah, I'll try to avoid the area. I'm sure they're catch the culprit soon, though!" Optimistic, as usual. He thought about riding the bus that morning instead of walking, but it was such a nice day out... He might as well go on a walk outside. It might help take his mind off things... Komaru stayed silent after that, other than a loud 'Eek!' at the sound of bread popping out of the toaster, before she rushed to go get it, picking up her backpack and running out the front door. The usual morning routine... Glancing over at the clock, he realized he should get going soon. He wasn't looking forward to school at all today, knowing everyone would be gossiping about the homicide. After all, that would only constantly remind him of what he saw...

\---

"A-ah, I apologize, I wasn't watching where I was going!" Makoto apologized as he bumped into someone on the sidewalk, getting a sense of familiarity when he saw who it was, though, he never remembered meeting her... He must've seen her in public sometime else or something. her appearance did stand out quite a bit... She had extremely pale skin, white hair, and purple eyes. Her outfit was quite unusual as well... The girl stared at him for a moment, expressionless and looking as if she were studying him, before speaking.

"We've met before, have we not?" She asked, her expression unchanging and her voice monotonous. Strange... Did she feel the same dejavu he was feeling? Though, it would be easily explainable for her; Makoto looked, well, average, and it would be easy to mistake him for someone else.

"No, I don't think we have..." He murmured, and at that she narrowed her eyes. Was she offended that he didn't remember her or something? He wasn't sure, her expression was hard to read. It was like she had a permanent poker face.

"How odd." 

That was all she said, looking him over once again before swiftly walking away. What a strange girl... He wondered why she was being so mysterious. She never even told him her name... He wondered why she'd glared at him like that. Maybe she was just annoyed with him? Oh, whatever. He probably wouldn't meet her again anytime soon, and he needed to hurry up and get to school. 

Speaking of strange things, other than waking up at a crime scene, there had been a lot of blank spaces in his memory lately. He just shrugged it off as having a terrible memory, as he had always had, but it had gone away for a while before the incident... Suddenly being in a room in the house and not remembering how he'd gotten down there or why, or the time just seeming to skip forward... It was all strange. Though, maybe it would fade away again, like it had before. Hopefully! It was unsettling at times how he could just forget things like that... And it certainly wasn't going to do him any good while he was at school. He might just have to start writing everything down in his notes, just in case. He already had B's and C's in most of his classes, he really couldn't afford to start falling behind! His parents would be pretty pissed off if he failed any of his classes again. Plus, he'd hate to have to go back to summer school... With that in mind, he rushed off to school, hoping his short conversation with that mysterious girl didn't cause him to be late. 

Luckily for him, he just barely made it to class on time, the bell resounding through the halls the moment he stepped into the classroom. Makoto let out a relieved sigh, setting his backpack down by his desk as he sat down, before reaching into it and digging out his notebook, the cover of which was bent and torn from being carelessly shoved into the bag on multiple occasions. Ugh, he hated this class, it was so boring... Though he still took out a pencil and copied down what was on the board, before the teacher began taking attendance. He could hear the faint whispers of people talking about the murder case, some even mentioning the culprit being a serial killer known as Sparkling Justice. He wished they could all just forget about it... He hated having to think about it. Though that made him wonder, had this serial killer been trying to frame him? But why? Sparkling Justice... He'd have to look that up later. He doubted it was actually this 'Sparkling Justice' person everyone was talking about, though if it was he at least wanted to know more about them- Maybe then he could avoid getting involved next time.

The rest of class was uneventful, and so was most of the school day. Even so, it was more tiring than usual, until he finally blanked out after lunch. His memory from lunch until the end of the day was entirely gone, though he knew he hadn't just slept through all his classes, as his notebook still had notes from those classes in it. His handwriting seemed... Off for whatever reason, however he was just glad he actually had the notes down in the first place. Hmph... He was exhausted for some reason. He was going to take a nap as soon as he got home! His plans seemed to change as soon as he got on the bus, however, spotting someone as he got on that, for some reason, filled every inch of his being with jealousy until he blanked once more.

\-- 

The boy got off the bus at the same time as the stranger he saw did, his eyes narrowing as he watched the direction that he went off in, before reaching into his bag and grabbing his trusty pair of scissors. He always preferred to have them in-hand rather than stowed away where they wouldn't be easily accessible if the occasion to use them arose. He couldn't do anything to that bastard right now, as it was still daytime, though if he ever saw him again while it was light out he was sure he'd-

"Hey, you." A familiar voice said, and the boy turned around to see the girl he had encountered a few days prior. "I saw you this morning. What a coincidence that we would meet again in the same day."

She had seen him this morning? He didn't remember that. Hmph, it must've been someone else that she saw... "The hell ya mean, ya saw me this morning?"

The girls expression hardly changed at this. She was Kyouko Kirigiri, she was sure she knew what was going on. This was, of course, the same person she had encountered this morning. She knew that for a fact. His personality, however, had switched back to how he had been when she first met him. He must have a personality disorder... No, he definitely had one. So far she had only seen two of his personas, and this one... This personality in particular she was suspicious of. This was the same one she had seen before the murder on Friday night. They hadn't talked much, but it was just enough to cause her to suspect him. It was her job to solve mysteries after all, and she didn't intend to let this murder go unsolved, though she didn't have any proper evidence yet, other than she had seen him carrying scissors around that night. And here he was again, with a different pair. 

"Hm, So you don't remember yet again? I suppose I'm not surprised-"

"What'd'ya mean by that, huh?!"

"... I just mean that your memory seems to be a very fickle thing, that's all. I meant no offense by it. You didn't remember seeing me Friday when I last talked to you, either."

"Don't ya ever think ya got the wrong person?"

"No, I would know if it were someone else. Anyways, what are you doing, running around with scissors? That's only going to make people think you're imitating the killer."

The boys expression twisted slightly at this, though he just shrugged. "Eh, I don't care. I'll let them think what they want to about me. It's not like they can prove anythin' just cause I've got scissors! These are hardly sharp anyways! There's no way anyone could kill with this pair, gahaha!"

His words, once again, only made her more suspicious of him, though it definitely wasn't enough to confirm anything. He could just be acting like an edgy teenager, after all. 

"By the way, you never told me your name. What is it?"

"Huh?" The boy paused for a moment, scowling at the question. "I ain't tellin' ya! I've got the most boring name in the world! Though, if ya really want somethin' to call me by, ya can just call me Sho." He grinned at this, laughing a bit.

"Hm... Fine, I'll accept that as an answer. I'm Kyouko Kirigiri."

"Huh? Kirigiri? Ha! Ya must be the daughter of that guy in charge of Hopes Peak! Jin Kirigiri, was it? Gahaha! I bet yer a 'child prodigy' of some sort, aren't ya?"

"... I suppose you could call me that, since only the best of the best can attend. There are scouts looking to recruit new students for next year though, so if you want to-"

"Whaaat, you think I wanna go to some prestigious school? Nah! All those 'talented' people... Ugh! They're set for life, they're not gonna have hardly any hardships! I hate 'em for that. People like that'll never know what it's like to really work hard just to get a decent job!"

He sounded jealous... She supposed he had every reason to be, if he was just middle class or lower. It was true that nearly everyone who attended Hopes Peak was set for life- They'd probably get a scholarship for college, and get a job using their extreme talent. Though for ordinary people, going to college would cost a fortune, and getting a job would surely be a struggle, not to mention it likely wouldn't be a very pleasant job. That jealousy... Perhaps that was a motive. Kirigiri mentally noted this, before checking her watch. She should be heading home now, otherwise she might not have time to finish her homework.

"I have to go now, maybe I'll see you again soon."

"Yeah, yeah, see ya!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No proofreading we die like men


	3. Kyouko Kirigiri

Kirigiri sighed as she came home, closing the door quietly behind her. The house was quiet, as usual, she would hardly be able to tell if anyone were home had the lights not been on. Her dad wasn't home yet, though... Oh, right, her step-brother was at their place this week. He was probably up in his room reading, as usual. He had an... Unusual interest in the recent murder case, though honestly, Kirigiri couldn't blame him. It was a rather interesting case... She supposed she should tell him about her current suspect, though knowing him, he probably wouldn't believe her. The detective took off her boots and went upstairs to her own room, as she wanted to write down her encounter with 'Sho' before she forget the details. Her notebook, as usual, was lying on the desk in her bedroom, and she quickly grabbed it along with a pen before sitting down on her bed to write.

Suspect #1  
Name: ____  
Nicknames: Sho  
Gender: Male  
Looks: Brown hair, green eyes, around 5'3?  
Other Notes: Possible DID (just a hunch), seen carrying around scissors (murder weapon)

Kirigiri thought for a moment, staring down at the paper. Hm... Was there anything else she should add to this? She didn't know much... Yet. She bumped into him this morning... Perhaps she should take the same route tomorrow, so she could learn more? Yes, that would be a good idea... She could lie and say she was on her way to a coffee shop or something. Though, would he not find it strange that she suddenly wanted to talk more after acting so coldly this morning? Perhaps... Though if she managed to befriend him, that could lead to him revealing some damning evidence against him, and she could prove he was the killer! She was the Ultimate Detective, after all. If anyone could figure this out, it was her.

The girl was about to start writing down the boys 'Sho' personality and the one he'd shown this morning, however, before she could, her stomach growled. Right, she hadn't had anything to eat since lunch... She supposed she should go get something to eat. She couldn't think straight on an empty stomach... Before she did that, though, she was going to talk to her step-brother about her suspicions. Her dad was always telling her she should try to get along better with him, maybe this murder case would somewhat bring them closer... Unlikely, but it was possible. Kirigiri reluctantly set down her pen and notebook, getting off her bed and making her way down the hall to her step-siblings room, and knocking on the door.

"Are you in there, Togami?" She knew he didn't like it when she entered his room without permission... He'd been quite standoffish and reclusive ever since they'd first met, so by now she knew her boundaries. It was possible he was still upset about his mother and father divorcing... Though she knew he was too prideful to admit that. There was the sound of rustling and footsteps, before a quite annoyed looking Byakuya Togami opened the door.

"I was in the middle of reading. What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to hear about my suspect for the murder case. I know you've been... Interested in it." Kirigiri explained. "I had two run-ins with him today, actually. He's quite suspicious."

Byakuya's irritated look shifted slightly into one of interest, and he stepped aside so she could come into his room. Talking in the doorway like that would be a bit awkward. Kirigiri leaned against the wall, and the blonde sat down in the chair by his own desk, crossing his arms and looking up at her. "So, what exactly was so interesting you thought you'd interrupt my research to tell me, hm?"

"Well... Surprisingly, he's not an adult like I first thought. He's about our age, actually. I ran into him this morning, and I recognized him as the same person I'd run into the night of the murder, however, he didn't remember me, and he was acting much differently than before. At first I didn't think much of it, but I ran into him after he'd gotten out of school today, and he was acting the same as he had on the night of the murder, and he didn't remember bumping into me this morning. He was also carrying around scissors for no particular reason, and said they weren't sharp enough to kill, like he'd know... I have no solid proof, but I do suspect he was Dissociative Identity Disorder, and that he may well be the murderer. He was acting very suspicious..."

"Hmph. Really? That is strange, but is he really your number one suspect? Aren't there more capable individuals out there, other than some common high school boy?"

"He appears ordinary at first, yes, though I do believe he is far from being a 'common high school boy'. Perhaps you'll meet him one of these days. Then you'll be able to see what I mean. Anyhow, despite my very little evidence against him, I'm going to trust my intuition. Gut feelings can often be right, that's something I've learned after years of investigating."

"Trusting your intuition, hm? Fine, do whatever you want. Honestly, I hope the killer, whoever they are, remains on the loose for a while longer. This could make things, at the very least, a little less boring."

Kyouko frowned at his words, though she wasn't surprised. He'd said similar things many times before. Honestly, that boy thought he was invincible or something, not caring about the lives of others as long as he was entertained. Actually, Byakuya himself would be a suspect had he not been at home that night. She thought he should see a psychiatrist of some sort, but she knew saying that would only piss him off. He should be more careful, though, as based on what Sho had said, people who got along in life easily, people who were 'elite' like Byakuya... Sho seemed to hate them. And the man that was last killed was a significantly talented and wealthy man, too. She knew Byakuya did have his hardships, she knew about what he'd had to go through to become heir, however Sho, or anyone outside of this family, wouldn't know about that. To Sho, Byakuya would just be another wealthy, successful young man without anything to worry about, and that could lead to him becoming the next victim...

"... Anyways, I'll leave you alone now. I have a test to study for. But I'd be careful if I were you. The suspect really hates people like you." And without another word, she left the room, the door closing behind her with a click. She was a little worried, honestly... She knew he wasn't going to heed her warnings. He did see himself as above her, and though she couldn't blame him for that- he'd been taught to think like that by his father- it still annoyed her. He wasn't always right! Ugh... Even so, she'd do what she could to prevent him from getting killed. They were step-siblings, after all.

\---------

Makoto woke up the next morning to the sound of his alarm clock with a yawn, though the realization he was missing a long time from his memory made him sit up straight in his bed, the sleepiness fading away almost immediately. What exactly happened after he got on the bus? As hard as he tried, he just couldn't recall. Hm... He supposed there wasn't anything he could do about it, but still... It worried him a bit that he remembered so little from yesterday. Maybe he was just tired, and it was effecting his memory... Ugh, maybe he'd fake sick tomorrow or something so he could stay in bed all day. But today he'd try going to school again, he had a test today. Argh, wait, had he even studied?! Probably not... Crap, he was totally screwed! With a heavy sigh, he got out of bed, before noticing some things in his room seemed... Out of place. After staring for a moment, he finally realized what was wrong. His scissors, along with all the other scissors in the household, were piled up on his dresser. That was strange. He didn't remember putting them there, nor did he remember having any need for scissors in the first place. He didn't have the time to put them back now... He'd just have to do it after school.

After eating breakfast with his sister as he did every morning, he grabbed his bag and started walking to school. He should really walk more often, the weather was especially nice lately. Just before he could put in his earbuds and start listening to music though, he saw the girl from yesterday morning walking towards him. She was here again? Maybe she was on a new route or something that caused her to keep crossing paths with him. Was she going to be as strange as last time? Well, at least this time he actually remembered meeting her once... She was carrying a notebook with her, and it seemed that she was ready to write something down at any moment.

"Are you heading to school?" She asked as she approached him, tapping her notebook with her pen.

"Er... Yeah?" Makoto answered hesitantly, unsure of what she wanted. It was kinda obvious, as he was walking around with a backpack... "Um... Why do you want to know, anyways?"

The girl sighed at the question, clicking her pen. "It's for a survey. I apologize for the inconvenience. What's your name?"

It wasn't an anonymous survey? Well... It seemed like a survey about school, so he supposed telling her his name wouldn't do any harm. "I'm Makoto Naegi." He noticed her jot that down at the top of the paper, which already seemed to have writing on it. Though, he wasn't one to criticize someone else's organization. After all, he himself was quite messy when taking notes, and in just about everything he did. 

"Right... I'm Kyouko Kirigiri. Nice to see you again. What school do you go to?" The calm and almost cold way she spoke made their conversation a little uncomfortable in all honesty, then again this was just a survey, not small talk. He told her the name of his school, and she didn't seem surprised. It was a popular high school he supposed, and a lot of students attended. She wrote this down as well, nodding slightly.

"Though... Aren't you related to Jin Kirigiri? The Headmaster of Hopes Peak Academy?" Naegi asked, now figuring this survey was to help scouts to know where to look when recruiting new students. There were some kids there with talent, he supposed, though none he could name off the top of his head. Their baseball team was pretty good, maybe they'd invite someone from the team?

"Yes, I'm his daughter." Kirigiri nodded, her tone not changing, though it seemed she was a little irritated about having to answer that. Oh, she must get asked that a lot... He felt a little bad for asking. "Do you have any history of mental illness?"

That... Was a strange question, but all he did was shake his head rather than question why she'd ask. "No... Not that I know of." Maybe they were trying to get a general scale of how many people were mentally ill, so they could be cautious of it? That could make sense... Maybe...

"Hmm... Alright, that's all I needed to know. I'll see you later, Naegi." The girl stated after writing down her final note, and before he could say goodbye, she had walked away. That hadn't taken too long, thankfully, but he started to quickly walk to school, as he didn't want to risk being late again. He might get detention if he was! Again... That'd be the third time this year...

Kirigiri turned her head to watch him run off to school, closing her notebook. Hm... So he was unaware of his own disorder? Well, not that she'd confirmed that he had a personality disorder, but she was pretty sure her guess was right. Either that, or he wasn't comfortable with sharing that information. However, Naegi had sounded genuine, so her best guess was he didn't know about it. Life must be very confusing for him. It intrigued her, honestly, this investigation was sure to be... Interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry updating took me so long!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways~


	4. Who are you, really?

Today was another confusing day for Makoto, though honestly at this point he was starting to get used to it. Was this something that happened to everyone as a teenager, just no one talked about it? Maybe... He didn't want to mention it and seem weird, though. His parents might take him to the doctor, and that was the last thing he wanted... Much to his relief, he managed to take the test he had without one of those strange 'blackouts' happening, and he was pretty sure he did okay on the test, despite him not remembering to study. Heh, he had honestly expected to fail, but somehow the answers seemed to just... Already be in his mind. It was a little weird, but he wasn't complaining! He probably passed! Thank god... His parents would kill him if he kept nearly failing.

The brunette let out a relieved sigh as he heard the lunch bell ring, picking up his backpack and taking his lunch box out. He was starving! He got out his usual lunch, which was never very filling, but it was just enough to get him through the rest of the school day. Something strange was going on, though... He found himself sitting alone. His friends usually came and talked to him... Were they avoiding him? He knew he'd seen them in the halls earlier today... It didn't bother him that much, as they weren't close friends, but still, he didn't understand why. Had he done something wrong? Huh... Maybe they were more popular now, and he wasn't popular enough to hang out with them now? That was ridiculous! Oh well, there wasn't much he could really do about it...

Lunch was going as it usually did, other than the lack of people around him- in fact, his classmates as a whole seemed to be avoiding him- until someone he didn't recognize walked through the classroom door. She had short black hair, gray eyes, and a very serious, almost scary expression on her face. Who was she? She clearly wasn't from this school, as she had a paper in one hand that she kept checking. A schedule, maybe? Was she new? No, the teacher would've introduced her if so... She read what was on the paper one more time, before looking up, her cold gaze searching the room.

"Is Makoto Naegi here?" She asked, before she finally noticed him sitting at his desk. "Ah, there you are."

The mysterious girl walked over to his desk, her once icy stare seeming to melt slightly as a small smile formed on her face. "Come on, Junko's waiting for you on the rooftop. Did you forget we were meeting there today? You were supposed to come as soon as lunch started."

"... What?"

Junko? Who was that? And why were they meeting on the rooftop? Was this discussed during one of his 'blackouts', and he'd forgotten it? This was so confusing... He guessed he should just go with it to avoid making a scene.

"Did you seriously forget again? You've got a terrible memory... Come on, there's not much time left before lunch ends." The girl sighed quietly, shaking her head before grabbing his arm and practically dragging him out of the classroom. Makoto would've asked who she was, but she seemed to know him, and he didn't want to seem like a complete idiot- or say anything that would warrant some suspicion of amnesia or something.

The two made it to the rooftop within a minute or two, the harsh grip the girl had on his arm loosening as she carefully opened the doors. There, standing in the middle of the roof, was a fashionable, familiar girl. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied up into huge pigtails, and her striking blue eyes lit up when she saw them, the impatience in her expression seeming to disappear instantly.

"There you aaare! It's about time! I have some good news for you, Mako!" The girl presumably named Junko cheered, grinning at him.

It took a moment for the face to register in Makoto's mind as- Supermodel Junko Enoshima?! What the hell was an actual celebrity doing at an ordinary school like this? And how did she know him?! And... Why was she calling him by a nickname? Had they somehow known each other for long enough to call each other nicknames?

"Y-you're Junko Enoshima, aren't you? Oh my god!"

Junko gave him a confused look for only a moment, before her expression returned to her previous cheerful one. "Of course I am! You don't remember me right now, do ya? Well, this applies to this part of you, anyways!" She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

What in the world was she talking about? What did she mean by 'this part of you'?! A supermodel talking to him like she knew him... This had to be some sort of fever dream.

"Soo, since I was accepted into Hopes Peak Academy, I was thinking that YOU should go there too! The only problem is that no one's scouted you out yet, but don't worry 'bout that! I've already talked to Sho and Mako about it!"

"Er... Who are Sho and Mako, exactly?" Makoto gave her a puzzled look, though the only answer he got was Junko ruffling his hair, her long red nails scraping him a few times.

"Don't worry about that! All you need to know if that you're getting into Hope's Peak! Rumor has it that Headmaster Kirigiri already has his eye on you~!" Junko, of course, wasn't going to tell him why Jin had his eye on him- Well, he didn't have his eye on Makoto himself, he had his eyes on the killer- Perhaps considering a Super High School Serial Killer, if they were a teenager, that is.

"He... Does?"

None of this made any sense to him, but before he could ask Junko and Mukuro more questions, the bell for class to start again rang. Looks like he'd just have to ask them next time they came around...

"See ya soon, Makoto!"

\--------------------

_There was a video playing onscreen. He wanted so badly to close his eyes, but someone was holding them open from behind, keeping them open, sharp nails almost digging into his skin. He couldn't move, ropes tightly tied to hold him still. Malicious laughter could be heard from behind him, and out of the corner of his eye he could see someone- just barely there- but no matter how hard he tried to focus on them, the screen was in view, and he couldn't tear his eyes away for long. Something so grotesque should not be forced into view of someone so young. What was on screen? Bright pink splatters and the muffled cries of those in the video all swirled together in his mind, an incomprehensible mess of despair and slaughter, twisting his heart and mind until he felt it would BREAK... That long black hair... Whose was it?_

\--------------------

"Hey, Makoto, wake up!"

The boy was abruptly brought out of his nightmare by the sound of his sisters voice, Komaru's tone sounding a bit worried as she shook him awake. Ah, so it was just a dream? Thank god... Still, his heart was pounding in his chest. However, the name 'Makoto'... He didn't want to be called that. Though, knowing this was his sister, he supposed she had permission to call him that no matter the circumstances.

"Yeah yeah, what do you want?" Sho mumbled, sitting up. It appeared he had fallen asleep on the couch... Ugh, he felt sore. He was NOT in a good mood. He couldn't blame Komaru for waking him though, and honestly, he couldn't be mad at her if he tried. Even during his recent outbursts, Komaru had never treated him like he was a bad person, like everyone else seemed to...

"Well, you were talking in your sleep again... You seemed like you were having a nightmare, so I thought I'd..."

".... Thank you." That wasn't something he said very often, not just to her but to anyone, but he was really glad he'd woken up from... That... It felt so real... Was it real? He wasn't sure, but he did know one thing, and that was he needed to commit another crime. That was what Junko said he needed to do! Not that he was fond of the idea of attending Hopes Peak Academy, but Junko and Mukuro were going to be there, and they were his only friends. The school he was at right now was so boring anyways, and everyone avoided him, so Hopes Peak might be a nice change.

"I'm gonna go on a walk outside... Jus' call me when dinners ready."

After Komaru agreed, he quickly put on his shoes, grabbing his favorite pairs of shiny, silver scissors and bag before heading on out. He kept them is his pockets as he walked around, the sunset casting an eerie shadow over the neighborhood. That didn't bother him much, and he continued walking, until he finally saw someone of interest- Tall, his thin figure fitted with an expensive suit, briefcase in hand. Ah, so they were heading home from work? Clearly, whoever this man was, he had a very well-paying job... Perfect! He began to sneakily trail behind him, hands ready to grab his scissors and the mask Junko had given him today after school ended. She said it was important to keep his identity a secret, in case someone caught him red-handed.

The man suddenly stopped walking. What was he doing? He was... Right where the last victim had been found, police tape blocking off the alleyway. Strange... The blonde seemed to be interested in the scene, checking it out- Wait, was he going in there?! He just stepped over the tape and strolled on in like it was nothing! Was he stupid?! Well, that made this a lot easier... He took out the mask, pulling it onto his face and making sure he could still see. Good... Scissors now in hand, he quietly made his way into the alley, getting close before suddenly lunging at him.

His briefcase clattered to the ground, and he could hear the man gasp as the cold metal of his scissors pressed against his neck. Wait- This wasn't a businessman! Now that he could see his face, he could see that he looked to be the same age as him. Well, shit... He looked familiar too, who could he be? Then it suddenly clicked. This was-! He was one of Junko's classmates! That's why he recognized him, Junko had shown him a picture of her class!

"Shit-!" He scrambled off him, tucking his scissors away. "Er, sorry 'bout that, I didn't know you were in acquainted with Enoshima..."

For whatever reason, the boy didn't seem angry with him or afraid when he got off the ground- No, he seemed... Intrigued. What the hell? What a weird guy... Not that Sho had any right to judge.

"You're the killer, aren't you?" The blonde asked, dusting off his suit.

"Well no shit, Sherlock. Don't even think about callin' the police, I-"

"I won't. I was just wondering if you could answer some questions for me-"

"What, ya wanna interrogate me? No way! You're just gonna turn me in to the police, aren't you? Not that I doubt her ability to break me out, but still! Look, I've already caused ya enough trouble as it is, so just forget 'bout this and we can both be on our merry ways, alright?"

"No, I'd rather not forget about this, thanks. I have been very interested in this investigation, and your method of killing is one of the most interesting I've found. I'm not asking much of you, really, but if you'd prefer to meet up some other time, I'd like to chat with you."

Sho could tell he was being... Genuine. What a weirdo, being so interested in murders! But... It was someone who wouldn't flee from him, just like Junko and Mukuro. Surely they wouldn't mind, right?

"Heh, are ya asking me on a date? Fine, pretty boy, if I happen to be around tomorrow, I'll give ya a call. Jus' give me your number."

And so began the strange relationship between the two, something more than acquaintances but less than a friendship. Whether or not this would become anything more than just the heir being interested in crime was a mystery as of now, but to be honest, Sho wasn't complaining. Even killers got lonely sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Thank you all for being so patient!! I apologize for any mistakes I may have made writing this, as I haven't had much time to check things ;; I've been busy ;;


	5. Nameless

"Makoto, you're home early! I didn't even have to call you!" Komaru seemed surprised that he had come back without her telling him to, however at the mention of his 'real name' he scowled, and his sister quickly fixed her mistake. "S-sorry! I meant Sho!"

"It's fine." The brunette huffed, a little annoyed, but he was in an otherwise good mood. He just got a guys number! Other than him, he only had two other friends, so he was pretty happy that he had someone else to spend time with now. Not that Enoshima and Mukuro were boring, of course... It was just nice to have some variety.

"Er... Dinner's going to be ready soon!"

Sho still thought it was strange that Komaru acted so awkwardly around him, as they had known each other for, well, their whole lives. He doubted she could be suspicious of him... After all, he hid his tracks pretty well. She really had no reason to suspect him of doing anything unlawful or dangerous! Plus, she still called him by that name, and it irked him. After all these years, shouldn't she know? Jeez! It had been seventeen years...

"Yeah, whatever, I'm not that hungry. I'll eat later."

Before Komaru could talk him into eating with the rest of their family, he ran upstairs, a grin stretched across his face. He wanted to be alone so he could call that pretty boy~! And tell Junko what had happened, of course. He had to tell her EVERYTHING.

\----

Makoto looked down at his phone when he heard it buzzing, furrowing his eyebrows when he noticed that whoever was calling him wasn't in his contacts. Ugh, just another telemarketer, probably, though this same number had called him quite a few times today, this being the third time... They were all too persistent these days, or maybe he was just unlucky. It was kind of annoying, though picking up and having to listen to some sales pitch was even more bothersome. Hmph... He was trying to study for once, why wouldn't they just leave him alone? Ugh! Well, whatever, if the same number kept calling him tomorrow he supposed he'd just block it.

His stomach growled, and Makoto glanced at the clock. It was well past dinner time... It wasn't like his parents to just neglect such responsibilities. It was possible he had just forgotten to eat dinner... He forgot a lot of things. He hadn't forgotten about his encounter with those two strange girls from earlier today, however. None of that made any sense... It felt more like a fever dream than anything, but he knew that had really happened. It was too vivid to just be a weird dream! He wondered if maybe it was Junko calling his phone... No, what happened had to have been a joke, right? There was no way she'd have his number! Either way, he wasn't answering it, even if it was a world-famous supermodel... It was probably just an impersonator of her, anyways...

Finally, the phone stopped ringing- And just as he was about to be relieved, he got a text message from the same number.

[???]: Why aren't you picking up?

[Makoto]: Who is this? Why do you keep calling me?

[???]: You don't remember me? We met earlier tonight.

That was strange... He didn't remember leaving the house after he got home from school today, much less meeting someone and giving them his number.

[Makoto]: Er, I met a girl named Junko earlier today, and there was another girl with her, but otherwise I didn't meet anyone... How did you get my number, anyways?

Kirigiri tilted her head slightly at this, having been watching Togami's phone screen over his shoulder- Not that she was trying to be nosy, but he was texting the boy she suspected to be the killer, so she felt it was her obligation to at least pry a little. At least, she thought that the boy her step-brother had encountered was Sho, also known as Naegi. The blonde had described the way he spoke, and it matched up with the way Sho spoke, so it was highly likely it was him.

"Junko? Do you think he means our classmate?" She inquired, narrowing her eyes as she thought. What did she have to do with this? She and her sister did go somewhere during lunch today... Had she gone to see Naegi? Why? As far as she knew, she had no connection to him...

"He mentioned someone named Enoshima earlier as well when we first met, so I wouldn't doubt that he's talking about her." Of course, he was confused by this as well, seeing as Sho seemed to be an ordinary teenager besides the murders, and Enoshima was, well, a fashion model. It was almost like they came from entirely separate worlds...

[Byakuya]: Do you mean Junko Enoshima?

[Sho]: Er, yeah, or maybe it was just an impersonator of her, but she came to my school earlier today during lunch.

So that's where she went after all... It could just be an odd friendship or something of the sort, but something told her that her classmate was involved in this somehow. She had no proof yet, but she needed to investigate Junko now. Just in case... Makoto Naegi was her only lead right now anyways, so she might as well.

Byakuya, on the other hand, had no interest in whatever Enoshima's deal was. He'd already come in contact with the killer- Or, someone who claimed to be the killer, anyways. That's what he really cared about. His killing style was so interesting, and he wanted to learn more about him. From the information Kirigiri had given him, he would be very entertaining.

\----

_Everything in him felt like screaming. EveryONE in him felt like screaming. The video was over, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. None of them could. He could hear a woman's laughter, and the bored sigh of a man. Hot tears streamed down his face as he leaned back in the chair he'd been bound to, having given up on trying to get away from them- from HER- midway through the video._

_"Did you enjoy the movie~?" She asked, and he could tell that she was grinning just from the sound of her voice. Makoto would've screamed no, he would've told her how much he hated it, how much pain it put him in to watch that, but Makoto wasn't the one in control._

_"I-I... Of c-course, ____...." He heard himself say, voice trembling. Sho said that, not him, Sho said that... Sho said that, and he could tell Mako agreed with him. Was he the only one who didn't want to accept his defeat?!_

_"You know... I'm the only one who could ever love you. My sister, ____, and I are the only people who could ever accept you as you are. You do know that, right?" She said, leaning close to his ear, so close he could feel her breath. A shiver ran down his spine, but Makoto was too terrified to do or say anything._

_"Th... Thank you, ___..."_

\----

Makoto awoke with a start, heart pounding in his chest and sweat beading up on his forehead. Everything was so vivid... Everything except for the names. Why couldn't he hear the names? Oh well, it wasn't important, just another weird nightmare... He hadn't even watched any scary movies lately, so he had no idea what was causing these horrible dreams. It could be the dead body incident, but these dreams had nothing to do with the corpse! At least none of it was real. He sat up with a sigh, rubbing his eyes. Ugh, he was still tired... He didn't even remember going to bed, but it seemed he had just passed out at his desk, phone still loosely in hand. His back was sore... He wished he didn't have to go to school today. Actually, he might just fake sick for today. With everything that had been happening, he just needed a break, and the weekend felt like it was forever away.

It's not like he would miss much anyways, all his friends seemed to be avoiding him for some reason, and although he didn't mind all too much since he was never really close with them, it made it so he had nothing to look forward to at school. Plus, he needed to take a day off from all these weird encounters with fashion models and that girl he'd met while walking to school once. It was utterly exhausting, all of it! He stretched as he stood up, before groggily walking over to his bed and flopping onto it. When his mom or Komaru came to tell him to get ready for school, he'd just say he felt sick, which wasn't a complete lie, as he did feel a little nauseous from the nightmare he just had. The worst part was how weirdly familiar it was... Whatever, it must just be similar to something he saw in a horror movie or another dream. He knew for a fact nothing like that had ever happened! He'd remember it if it did, right? Obviously...

He heard his phone go off again as he received a text, but he didn't bother answering it. He was too tired to deal with that now... Before he even heard Komaru call for him, he fell asleep once more, hopefully into a sleep without any dreams or nightmares.

\----

Instead of trying to get more information out of her suspect, Kirigiri had decided she'd dedicate today, at the very least, to investigating how Junko was involved with Naegi. This could potentially be a huge lead, after all, and observing her classmate couldn't be too difficult, could it? If she happened to wander off-campus during lunch, she'd just have to follow her and find out what exactly she was up to. She and her sister, she should say, as she was sure Mukuro was involved, as she was always by Enoshima's side. Like a personal bodyguard more than a sister, almost...

She didn't really think the fashionista was the type to be up to any nefarious activities, she just didn't seem like the type to do such things- She didn't seem like that at school, anyways- but she had to make for absolute sure. She couldn't risk a possible culprit or accomplice getting away with this. From what she knew, she didn't seem to have a motive to kill. She had everything she could ever want, being a rich and famous model. Naegi, or Sho, on the other hand, did seem to have a motive, even if it was kind of a petty one.

With all this in mind, Kirigiri headed off to school, riding with her step-brother as she usually did, though they didn't speak to one another. They almost never did. Togami refused to ever make an effort to have a good relationship with her, so sitting next to each other like this every morning was pretty awkward. But maybe this murder case would bring them a little closer together, as strange as that sounded. It was something they were both interested in, after all, and Togami was almost as smart as she was, so he could help on the investigation- Though his motives for investigating were much different from her own. She still thought he should see a therapist or something...

As soon as they arrived at Hopes Peak, Kirigiri set out to find out where Junko was, a determined look on her face. She was getting to the bottom of this. She was a detective, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait! I hope you enjoyed regardless!


End file.
